Scars of the Heart
by Jeymie
Summary: After the battle with Naraku, Inuyasha goes to hell with Kikyo, Sango and Miroku marry, and Kagome falls in love with a silver hair kitsune. Kagome goes back home after being abandoned by her love and finds someone unexpected. Kag/Youko Kurama
1. At The Beginning With You

AN: I know I should be working on my other story, but I couldn't resist. - I promise I will update Too Late To Say Sorry before the end of the week. Well, here it goes. Btw, this is my one and only disclaimer, so pay attention: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA OR YUYU HAKUSHO. There ya go, in big letters. - Enjoy.

Kagome sighed happily as she lay snuggled with her mate in the grassy field. His long, silver hair mixed with her bluish black, making a celestial river around them. She smiled, sighing again. He chuckled and propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at his love.  
"You sure are sighing an awful lot, May-chan." He observes, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. She looked up into his warm golden eyes and smiled before closing her own eyes and drifting off into a peaceful slumber. Laughing a bit he lied back down and allowed himself to relax while still being aware of their surroundings in case of a threat.

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Sango screeched. Kagome launched at her long-time friend and covered her mouth. Poor Shippou was hidden under Kagome's shirt, shaking and hiding his ears from the loud taijiya. Sango took a deep breath and waited for Kagome to remove her hand. As soon as she did, Sango whispered "You're what?"

Kagome merely smiled. "I'm pregnant." Sango let out a whoop and tackled her friend, hugging her tightly, careful of her stomach.

"I can't believe it! I'm going to be an aunt!!" Sango sighed, stars in her eyes as she dreamed of the things she would teach her little future niece or nephew. Kagome laughed and shook her head at her sister-in-heart while Shippou merely felt sorry for the unborn child.

It was storming outside the hut as Kagome sobbed into her sister's stomach. Sango rubbed her back worriedly, glancing over at her husband for help. Miroku knelt by Kagome's side and pulled her to him, holding her close and running his hand through her hair. "It's not your fault, Kagome. You did NOTHING to deserve this."

Kagome sobbed harder. "Why? What did I do that was so wrong? We seemed happy, and Shippou adored him. Why did this have to happen? Shippou lost yet another father, and my poor unborn hanyou will never know his father." She said, holding her kit close to her very pregnant belly.

Shippou merely wrapped his arms around his mother's belly and nuzzled it. "it's ok momma, you're all I need. And I'll be here for my little brother and teach him everything he needs to know about being a youkai." Shippou said proudly.

Kagome smiled tearily at him and held him close. "Thank you, Shippou."

Kagome stood in front of the well, Shippou at her side and her two year old son in her arms. She turned around and smiled sadly at a very pregnant Sango and Miroku. "I'm going to miss you two so much, but I've stayed too long. I need to go back to my family. My mom needs to know her grandsons." She said softly, her eyes pleading for them to understand.

Sango smiled tearily, hiccupping and leaning into her husband's side. "I know Kagome. I just hope that you'll come back and visit us. Just because that damn Yo.. that damn male ran away doesn't mean that you have no one here who loves you."

Kagome smiled. "I know, Sango. And if I can, I'll come to visit you and my little niece or nephew." With that she turned around and got into prayer position. Chanting, she unsealed the well and jumped in with her two sons.

Sango turned into her husband's arms and wept for her friend.

There you have it. I'm sorry it's so jumpy, but I just wanted to lay the backstory. Yes, I realize that there are alot of holes, but I promise they will be filled in later. I'm making it a personal goal to have the next chapter of this and my other story out by friday, so jo ne for now.


	2. And Back Again

Kagome hummed happily as she swept the front of the shrine. She was dressed in her miko robes and had her hair tied back to keep it out of the way. It had been a year since she returned to her own time, and her sons had adjusted well.

Kagome's mother, Sayuri, had taken to the boys instantly. Shippou adored her, and little Akito had taken to calling her 'Oba' shortly after they arrived, and had yet to correct the title, not that Sayuri minded.

"Come back here, ya lil mutt!" She heard Shippou call playfully. Turning, she watched as Shippou chased his brother across the courtyard. Akito ran as fast as his chubby little legs would take him, holding a top that Kagome recognized as Shippou's. She hid a laugh behind her hand as the boys played their games.

"Kagome!" her mother stuck her head out the front door. "Would you mind going into town for me and picking up some leeks and Ubon noodles? I need them for dinner."

Kagome smiled. "Hai, Kaa-san. Give me a few to get changed and I'll get right on that." Turning to her boys, she stalked over to where they were wrestling and snatched the toy from between them. "Hey!" both boys protested, identical pouts on their faces. Kagome laughed. "Come on and let's go get changed. We're going into town for some noodles and leeks for Oba." She told them.

Shippou wrinkled his nose and shivered in disgust at the thought of leeks, and Akito, after watching his brother, did the same. Kagome merely laughed, "You two don't be silly. You've both eaten leeks before and liked them well enough. Now go inside and change, and I might consider picking up a box of pocky before we check out." She told them, winking.

Shippou and Akito both lit up at the mention of their favorite treat. "Pocky!!" exclaimed Shippou as he jumped up and ran into the house. Akito struggled to right himself and yelled "Po-ki!" as he clumsily ran after his brother. Kagome smiled after them, her eyes turning sad as she watched the boys who acted so much like her dear lover. She felt despair grip her heart and tears well in her eyes as his mischevious smirk appeared in her mind. Clutching a hand to her heart, she shook her head to clear the image from her vision and followed the boys into the house.

Elsewhere, in the Reikai, the spirit detectives were reporting to the 'almighty toddler', as Yusuke was fond of calling him.

"So what's up this time, toddler? Screw up again and need us to clean it up?" Asked Yusuke, grinning at the small prince.

Koenma glared at the young man. "I am not a toddler, Yusuke!" He yelled, his face going a bit red. The purple ogre that stood beside the prince's desk cleared his throat and brought him back to the present.

Koenma cleared his throat as he settled back into his seat and pressed a button on the screen. "There have been an unusual number of demons escaping from the Makai into the Ningekai lately. It's mostly occurring around this area. I was you all to investigate this and find out how, and why, they are so interested in this particular city. Understood?" he asked, his eyes searching each one of his detectives.

"Psh, no prob! My aunt and cousin live out there, actually. It'd be no problem. It's been a while since I visited them anyway." Yusuke yawned, bored of the meeting already.

"Hn, well none of the demons seem to be of a particularly high level, so I don't see why I would be needed." Muttered Hiei.

Koenma narrowed his eyes at the forbidden child. "I want each and every one of you on this case. There's something amiss, and I want to know what! Now, report when you've found something. Toodles!" He wiggled his fingers and pressed a new button that he'd been dying to try since he had it installed. The floor opened up and sent the 4 spirit detectives falling through space, two of them loudly cursing Koenma the whole way down.


	3. Detectives and Mikos and Bears, oh my!

* * *

Kagome smiled and nodded to the people who greeted her as she passed. When she had returned from the feudal era, she had opted to finish high school through a home school program and take over the shrine. She was a known miko who had a wide knowledge of healing and exorcism. Her sons were also very popular as they were very cute and playful. Shippou had wasted no time in teaching his brother how to smile shyly and weasel candy and favors from the naïve females that came by the temple.

Kagome turned and entered into a small convenience shop. The little old man that owned it smiled and waved. "Kagome-san! It's so good to see you. Is there anything I can get for you?" He asked.

Kagome smiled at him. "Konnichiwa. Iie, Jujin-san. I'm merely here for noodles and some fresh leek. I wouldn't dare go elsewhere; this is the only place I would trust to get my produce." She said, smiling kindly.

The little old man blushed in pleasure at her praise. "Naturally. Well, do let me know if you need anything." Kagome nodded and walked off to do her shopping.

The two boys made sure she wasn't looking and ran over to the counter, climbing up a bit more nimbly than perhaps they should have. "JuJu-san! Ohayo!" Shippou said, grinning widely. Akito, grinning just as wide, exclaimed "Ohayo, Juju-san!"

Jujin smiled at the two. "Ohayo Gaki-ichi, Gaki-ni." He said teasingly.

The boys scowled at him. "We are not gaki! We are perfectly well behaved!" Shippou huffed, sticking his nose in the air.

Akito gave a little huff of his own. "Not gaki!" he emphasized.

Jujin gave a hearty laugh. "Not gaki, eh? We'll see about that. BUT, since you have apparently been not gaki, I suppose you deserve a little reward." He said, pulling out some pocky and splitting the box between the two boys. "Now, what you can't eat before your Okaa-san gets back, hide. I won't get in trouble for your mischief." He told the two with a wink.

The boys nodded excitedly in agreement, munching on the treats. A few minutes later Kagome returned and Shippou grabbed the remaining biscuits and hid them, using a bit of his kitsune magic. He hoped his Kaa-san had been too busy to notice.

Kagome had to hide a smile as she saw her eldest scramble to hide the pocky. Remembering her promise earlier, and figuring the boys had behaved well enough to deserve a treat, she went ahead and bought them a box.

As the three were on their way back, Kagome decided to take a detour through the park and let the boys run through the trees. They were about halfway through when she felt a pulse of youki. She dropped the bag and turned to the boys. "Shippou, take your imouto and hide, now. Whatever happens, do NOT let it know you are here." She told him, pushing Akito into Shippou's arms. The two boys ran off and Kagome faced where she felt the energy coming from. Closing her eyes, she released her senses and allowed her own energy to feel out the surrounding area.

Locating it, she opened her eyes and faced the threat, gathering her miko energy in her hands and waiting for it to appear. Not thirty seconds later, a giant bare with glowing eyes burst through the trees, roaring thunderously and tearing down everything around it. It noticed Kagome in her stance and lowered its head, pawed at the ground, and charged.

Kagome stood her ground and waited till the last possible second before jumping straight up and landing on its back. She grabbed onto the youkai and dug her hands into its flesh, pumping her miko energy through it's system. The bear youkai bucked and turned every which way, trying to dislodge the miko, but she held fast. The youkai, seeing that it wasn't working, began to bash its back against trees, trying to scrape her off.

Kagome cringed and had to bite her lip to keep her cry of pain from escaping her throat. Determined to not show her kits that she was in pain, she concentrated on increasing the energy flowing through her hands. 'I don't understand," she thought, 'why is it taking so much to destroy it. It should be ashes by now, but something is slowing my energy. It's like trying to wade through slime.'

Turning up the level once more, she finally manage to completely fill the youkai with her energy, and whatever had been stopping her energy fell away and the youkai finally fell, burned from the inside out. Kagome stood shakily and went to where her kits were hiding. "Are you two alright?" She asked, checking them over.

Shippou nodded. "Hai, we're fine. But you aren't." He said, pointing to a gash in her arm and the bruises from where the bear had managed to ram her into trees.

Kagome shook her head. "I'll be fine as long as you are ok. Now help me gather some limbs so we can burn it. We can't leave evidence like this for the ningen to find."

The three gathered up just enough wood and leaves to start the fire and set the beast up in flames. Kagome gathered her bags and kits, and headed back to the shrine, eager to take a hot bath and glad that she had kept up with her training, even if she did need to work on being able to focus her energy without a conductor.

* * *

The Spirit Detectives cursed Koenma soundly as they landed in a pile, Kuwabara at the bottom. Kurama hid a chuckle at the short youkai who, for once, had not been quick enough to avoid the pile. Hiei growled and made a hasty escape, leaving Yusuke and the baka to sort themselves out.

"Get your foot out of my mouth, Yusuke!" "Well let go of my hair, ya big oaf." "Ouch, that's my spleen!" "You don't even know what a spleen is!" "Well neither do you!" The two struggled a bit before finally getting back on their feet. After they were both upright, Yusuke hit Kuwabara on the back of the head and knocking him back to the ground. "Hey, what gives?!" Kuwabara groused. Yusuke snickered.

Just as he was about to reply, there was a pulse of youki. All of the Spirit Detectives paused and looked at each other a moment, a silent message of consensus passing between them, before they all started running towards the energy. They felt it pulsing, raising higher and higher. "It's angry." Murmered Kurama. All four detectives were a bit apprehensive as to what they would find when they arrived at the scene.

They all felt a flash of energy different from the youki of the youkai. It was pure, and burning to three of them, while the fourth thought it felt warm and comforting. It went on, steadily rising higher before both energies suddenly cut off. They found themselves running through a park, and it wasn't long before they found where trees had been knocked down and ground destroyed. They skidded to a hault when they encountered a large fire, the body of what could have been a boar youkai burning.

The detectives just looked at it for a moment. "Whatever destroyed this.. it wasn't human." Yusuke said. Hiei grunted in opposition. "No, it was a ningen. Just a powerful one." He said. Kuwabara looked at him in confusion. "Say what, shorty?" Hiei growled and Kurama cut in before it could get ugly. "What Hiei means, is, remember that energy we felt before? It was pure. A spiritual energy. That of a miko." He explained.

Yusuke sighed and took out his communicator, calling Koenma. "Toddler, I think you'd better send Botan."

* * *

Kagome sighed as she relaxed into the steaming hot water, allowing it to wash the dirt from her body and the pain from her aching muscles. Leaning her head back against the wall, she reflected on what happened earlier that day.

"How odd.. I haven't seen a youkai that strong since I came back from the feudal era. In fact, I don't think I've seen more than a spirit or sprite other than my sons. I thought that the youkai were extinct.. I wonder where it could have come from." She groaned as she fully submerged herself in the water. 'There's no way something that large could have gone unnoticed for long. So where did it come from? And what was that that was stopping my energy?'

Sighing again, she decided that the answers probably weren't going to come to her just sitting there. Taking her hair down, she lathered it up with lavender shampoo and scrubbed thoroughly, trying to get all of the dirt and leaves out from the earlier brawl. "Damn bear. If only I'd had my staff or my arrows.. But no, baka thing made me use my hands. Of all the.." She grumbled a bit more as she washed her hair out several times, making sure that all traces of mother nature were cleansed from her ebony locks.

After making sure she was completely clean, she got out and wrapped herself in a towel and let the murky water drain out of the tub. She hummed in content as she went to her room and put on some fresh clothes, happy to be clean.

She went to her sons' room and poked her head inside. "Souta, did you give Akito and Shippou a bath for me?" She asked.

Her brother answered without looking away from the racing game the three were absorbed in. "Hai nee-chan. They're as clean as they're going ta get." He said, tilting his controller, and his body, as he tried to make a sharp turn.

Kagome shook her head and chuckled in amusement as the boys cheered and yelled at the screen. Closing the door, she headed downstairs and to the kitchen where her mom was fixing dinner. "Ohayo Okaa-san. Can I help?" She asked, coming over to the stove.

"Hai, you can clean and chop the vegetables." Sayuri said, nodding her head over at the chopping board where the vegetables and cutlery were waiting. Kagome nodded and washed her hands and put on an apron before starting to work on the vegetables.

"So, Akito said you three had an eventful evening." Her mother observed, stirring one of the pots.

Kagome nodded. "Yes, we did. A bear youkai appeared. It was furious, and ripping everything to shreds. I don't know where it came from, honestly. I had thought that youkai were extinct in this time. I've never seen anything like it, and it appeared so suddenly." Kagome explained, washing the vegetables under the faucet.

Sayuri hummed. "Is it possible that they've just become acclimated? Became adept at hiding themselves?"

Kagome sighed, "I don't know, to be honest. I could see how maybe the taiyoukai and the other humanoide ones might be able to, but a giant bear the size of a small house? How would one like that hid? Especially if they hate humans and kill them on sight.."

Sayuri hummed. "I see. Well, let's not let this ruin our evening. For all we know it could be a one time thing. It's never happened before, maybe it won't again." She said. Kagome finished chopping the vegetables and added them to the pot. "Why don't you go get the boys and your Oji-san? Hm? Dinner will be ready soon."

Kagome nodded and kissed her mother on the cheek. "Hai Kaasan." She took off her apron and headed upstairs to where the boys were playing video games.

* * *

"Wow, so it was already dead and on fire before you got there?" asked Botan. The Detectives along with Keiko were at Yusuke's apartment. They had just got done explaining what happened earlier that day to Botan and Keiko, and were trying to figure out what to do.

"Well, it was a level two, so a gun couldn't have done it. It was too strong for that, but it certainly shouldn't have been strong enough to break through the barrier on it's own, or weak enough to get through unnoticed. Did you all figure out how it got through to the ningekai in the first place?" Botan asked.

The detectives shook their heads. "No. We searched the area and didn't find anything unusual. We also tried to find out how the youkai was killed, but the body was almost comepletely destroyed by the fire by the time we got there. We think it was a miko, though." explained Kurama.

Botan sighed. "But Miko have all but died out. There are very few if any left, and even if some one is born with the talent, there's no one around to train them. I think we would know if there were any in the area."

Yusuke yawned and stretched. "Well, enough of this. We're not getting anywhere just sitting around. Tomorrow we're going to visit my Aunt and cousin, and we can snoop around some more. They live at a shrine, so maybe we'll find something there."

* * *

Kagome hummed an old tune Kaede taught her as she swept the shrine grounds. It was a sunny day, barely a breeze. The boys were happily running around, chasing each other in some altered game of tag in which only they knew the rules.

"Hey, can't get me, can't get me!" Chanted Souta and Shippou as Akito chased them, trying to catch up with the older boys. Souta and Shippou kept dodging and changing direction every time Akito got near them. Finally frustrated, Akito went to all fours and used his youkai speed to run and pounced on Souta. Once he was firmly on top of him, he started tickling the older boy. Shippou sooned join the younger kit in torturing the boy.

"Haha! Stop, stop! I give up! Come on guys, please!" Souta begged, rolling around and trying to escape the two. "Nee-chan, please!!" He cried.

Kagome covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. "Looks like they got the best of you, Souta-kun."

Suddenly, Kagome felt the presence of youkai. She tensed and looked towards the steps. The kits, noticing their mother's posture, stopped tickling Souta. "Kaa-san, what's wrong?" Shippou asked.

"Boys, go inside. Shippou, get me my bow and arrow. Quickly now, as fast as you can. Tell Oba to lock the door." She instructed them in a soft but firm voice. Sensing her urgency, Souta picked up Akito and he and Shippou ran inside.

Kagome stayed still with baited breath. Shippou soon returned and handed over her weapons. "Thank you, Shippou. Now go back inside."

"No way, Kaa-san. I can help. I've helped fight before, and Souta and Ji-san will protect Oba and Aki." Shippou told her.

Knowing it would merely wasted time to argue, she notched an arrow and waited. As the time passed, she felt the youkai grow closer and closer. She could now tell that their was one full youkai, one hanyou, and one that felt both human and youkai, but not quite hanyou. She held her breath as they started up the stairs. Suddenly, the wards activated and her Miko energy filled the air, trapping the visitors on the stairs.

Walking forward, she reached the top of the stairs and aimed down. "Who are you and how dare you trespass on sacred ground, youkai?"

* * *

Yusuke yawned, stretching as he and the others walked down the sidewalk. "Man, I haven't been around here in forever. Too rich for my taste." He said, grabbing an apple from a cart while the vendor wasn't looking.

Hiei snorted and Kuwabara shook his head. "Why? Not run down and easy to steal from?" He asked. Yusuke laughed, "That's about right." he took a large bite from the apple.

"How much further is this shrine?" Kurama asked. They had taken the Reikai express, aka Botan, to the city, but since Yusuke couldn't remember the exact address, she had to drop them off in a random location. Luckily, Yusuke recognized the area and was able to navigate from their.

"Ah, not much further. Should be right up this street." He said.

They went a little further till they reached a break in the wall where the steps started. Kuwabara's jaw dropped. "Awe man, this place is just like Genkai's!" He grumbled.

Hiei sneered. "Quit whinning and lets get this over with."

The four boys started up the stairs. They had barely gotten halfway when Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara stopped short, tensing, "Something's not ri-ah!"

A field activated, feezing the detectives in place. "What the hell happened?!" demanded Yusuke, struggling to get free.

"It's Miko energy. Stop struggling, Yusuke, you'll get us killed!" explained Kurama.

"Who are you and how dare you trespass on sacred ground, youkai?" demanded a voice above them.

The boys looked up. At the top of the steps was a beautiful woman wearing red and white priestess garbs. Her long black hair was tied back with a white ribbon, and her bow and arrow were aimed straight at the detectives.

Hiei snorted. "And what do you think you're going to do with that, weak onna?" He asked.

The priestess narrowed her eyes and shot her arrow. The arrow landed no more than a couple feet from the detectives and exploded in a burst of purifying energy. "I'll ask you one last time, who are you and why are you trespassing on sacred ground?"

Yusuke finally took a good look at the girl. "What the hell? Kags! It's me, Yusuke!"

The priestesses eyes widened. "What?! Yusuke? But.. how can that be? Since when are you a hanyou?"

Yusuke snorted. "And since when the hell are you able to tell? Come on, Kagome. Let us out, we gotta talk!"

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "And what about them?" She asked, motioning to the others.

Yusuke shrugged. "Harmless. We're all on the same team."

Kagome nodded and lowered her bow. She bowed her head and concentrated on withdrawing the energy back into the wards, freeing the boys. As soon as they were free, they continued up the steps. Kagome waited for them at the top, still watching the group warily.

Yusuke reached the top and stood awkwardly in front of his cousin. "So.. Um.. not really sure how to explain this."

Kagome's eyes traveled over them. "Follow me." She turned around and led them further onto the grounds.

* * *

Ok people, I haven't watched or read YuYuHakusho in a while, so, need a few words, and need some verified.  
1. Spirit world - Reikai?  
2. Human world - ningekai?  
3. Demon world - Makai?  
4. Demon energy -youki?  
5. Demon - yuokai?  
6. Fuedal era - ?  
7. Spirit Detectives - ?

Would appreciate any help. Please, only respond if you really know the word and the spelling, not if you simply think you do.


	4. Meet the Family

I would like to thank Kage Hasu & Cherry-Blossom-Love for their help with some of the Japanese words. To show my appreciation, this chapter is dedicated to them.

* * *

_The priestesses eyes widened. "What?! Yusuke? But.. how can that be? Since when are you a hanyou?"_

_Yusuke snorted. "And since when the hell are you able to tell? Come on, Kagome. Let us out, we gotta talk!" _

_Kagome narrowed her eyes. "And what about them?" She asked, motioning to the others._

_Yusuke shrugged. "Harmless. We're all on the same team."_

_Kagome nodded and lowered her bow. She bowed her head and concentrated on withdrawing the energy back into the wards, freeing the boys._

Kurama looked up at the priestess as they ascended the steps, secretly in awe. 'She's beautiful..' he thought to himself.

Yoko grunted in agreement. 'And powerful.' he added.

Kurama started, surprised. 'Yoko.. did you just compliment a beautiful female without trying to convince me of anything?' he asked.

Yoko snorted, slightly insulted. 'This female is different. She deserves respect, not some pathetic half-hearted attempt to merely bed her.' he said before going into a contemplative silence.

Kurama was slightly amused and mostly confused. Sure, his head had been a lot quieter since Suichi had fused with Kurama, but Yoko still caused plenty of trouble, especially with females present. He had never been one to hold his tongue or his actions when it came to the opposite sex, so Kurama was understandably uneasy about the silence.

When they reached the top, the miko startled them all by jumping at Yusuke. "Yus-chan!!" She shouted, giggling at the two tumbled to the floor.

"Aaack! Gome, get off! And don't call me Yus-chan!" He shouted, trying to push the miko off of him.

Kagome sat up on his stomach and grinned down. "You'll always be my Yus-chan, baby cousin." She told him.

Yusuke huffed and crossed his arms. "Damn parents.. I just had to be born two months later.." her muttered.

Grinning, the miko stood up and bowed to the reikai tentai. "I'm Higurashi Kagome, miko of this shrine."

Botan smiled and bowed. "I'm Botan."

Kagome looked at her a moment. "And what are you?" she asked.

Botan looked stunned for a moment and looked to Yusuke. Yusuke nodded. "I'm a spirit guide, I guide souls to the Reikai."

The miko looked even more confused. "Reikai?"

Botan nodded. "Yes, the Reikai is the spirit realm where souls go. I guide them there and protect them on their journey." She explained.

Kagome nodded and turned to Kuwabara. He came forward and took her hand in both of his. "Hello pretty lady, I'm Kuwabara Kazuma. Would you be my girlfriend?" He asked.

Kagome stared at him, stunned. Suddenly, a small red kit jumped up and clamped down on Kuwabara's hand. Panicking, he started yelling and waving his hand about, trying to dislodge the mouth full of sharp teeth.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Shippou! Get that out of your mouth this instant! You don't know where it's been!" She demanded. The kit let go and jumped into her arms, glaring at Kuwabara and hugging her possessively.

Smiling down at the kit, she smoothed his hair out. "This is Shippou, my kit." She told them.

The Reikai Tentai were startled. "You-You're kit?" Asked Yusuke, his eyes wide.

Kagome smiled, this time a bit sadly. "Yes, one of two." She shook herself a bit and brightened up, looking at Hiei. "And you are?"

The short apparition grunted. Kurama approached her and smiled charmingly. "He's Hiei, and I'm Kurama. It's nice to meet you."

Kagome smiled warmly at them. "It's very nice to meet you all. Why don't you come inside. Kaa-san just finished baking some cookies, and if we don't get there soon, I'm afraid Akito and Ji-san will eat them all." She invited before turning and heading towards the house. The Reikai Tentai looked at each other for a moment before following the odd miko inside.

"Kaa-san, we have guests!" Kagome announced, slipping off her shoes. The smell of cookies wafted through the house and gave it a warm, comforting feeling. She led the group to the living room.

Sayuri entered the room with a small boy with silver hair and white fox ears in her arms. Her eyes widened in delight. "Yusuke! I haven't seen you in so long! You've grown into such a handsome young man!" She said, passing the boy to Kagome so she could give him a hug.

Yusuke laughed, "Auntie Yuri. It's good to see you."

She stood back and looked to the others. "And who are your friends." Yusuke introduced the group and Sayuri smiled welcomingly. "You all have a seat and I'll bring out some tea and cookies." She said, shuffling to the kitchen.

The group took their seats, Kagome on the love seat with the small boy in her lap and Shippou beside her, Botan, Kuwabara, and Yusuke on the couch, Kurama in the recliner, and Hiei standing by the window.

"So who is that one?" asked Botan, nodding to the small silver boy in Kagome's lap.

Kagome smiled down at the young boy. "This," she said proudly, "is Akito." She smiled wider as he grinned up at her, chewing at a cookie. She kissed his forehead, making him giggle as her breath tickled his head.

Botan cooed over the child. "He's so precious, can I hold him?"

Kagome's smile froze on her face and she looked at Botan uncomfortably, her arms tightening protectively around the kit. Kurama, noticing her hesitancy, spoke up. "I don't think now is quite the time, Botan. We need to get down to business."

Botan drooped a bit, but nodded in agreement. Kagome gave Kurama a hesitant smile of appreciation and Kurama nodded, smiling.

Yusuke cleared his throat uneasily, not quite sure where to begin. Seeing this, Kurama once again took over. "So, Kagome-san, you know of youkai, right?" he asked. Kagome raised and eyebrow and smirked slightly, nodding and running her fingers through her youngest child's hair.

Yusuke sighed. "So, remember all of those stories Ji-san always told us? About hundreds of years ago when youkai and ningen lived together? Well, a few hundred years ago, a barrier was erected to separate the the ningen world from the youkai world. The ningen world was called the Ningenkai, and the youkai world is the Makai. We're what you call Reikai Tentei. Our job is to protect the Ningenkai from the youkai that manage to slip through the barrier."

Kagome nodded in understanding. 'So that's why I haven't seen youkai in this time until lately. I thought it was just because I had the completed shikon no tama.' She thought. "Ok, so, what are you doing around here?" She asked.

Yusuke smiled sheepishly. "Well, actually, we just came here to visit. We were in the area investigating a case. I didn't actually expect to find anything here." He said.

Botan spoke up. "There have been an increasing number of youkai escaping in this area, and we've been sent to investigate. The youkai are not the kind to normally slip through. To weak to get through on their own, to strong and big to be able to slip through a small crack." She explained.

"And to add to that, when we were following a youkai's youki yesterday, we felt a strong miko energy that destroyed it. The carcass was on fire and the fighter gone by the time we arrived. Am I to assume that it was you?" Kurama asked.

Kagome blushed a bit and nodded. "Yes, that was me. It was a boar youkai, but- it was kind of strange." She said, recalling the fight.

Yusuke leaned forward, "What do you mean 'strange'?"

"I mean it was strange. Normally when I channel my energy into anything, especially a youkai, it flows through easily, like water down a smooth channel. But, with this one, it was like trying to wade through a swamp. It was thick, like a coat of slime. It took a lot more energy to kill him than it normally would." she explained.

The Reikai Tantei looked at each other, knowing that this was something that Koenma would need to know.

Kagome looked at Kurama, her eyebrows furrowed as if she was trying to figure something out. "Ano- gomen ne, but, what exactly are you? You feel both human and youkai, but- you're not hanyou." She said, confused.

Kurama chuckled. "I'm two souls in one body. A few hundred years ago, a kitsune-"

Yoko interrupted, 'DON'T tell her my name. Please, Kurama, don't tell her my name.'

Kurama hesitated, both confused and surprised. Yoko NEVER says please or begs. He makes a quick note to ask later, and recovers quickly.

"-thief was caught in a trap. His body was killed, but not his soul. He existed for a while, not moving on. One day, weak and unable to go on, he took refuge in a ningen's womb, in her unborn child. The child's body held two souls, the ningen and the youkai. Because of this, a third soul, a combination of the two, the beginning of the binding, was created. I'm the one with control most of the time, a middle ground. The ningen and my soul have joined into one, but the youkai is taking a bit longer." Kurama explained.

Kagome, Shippou, and Akito looked at him with wide eyes. Shippou and Akito both brightened happily, and scrambling away from their mother went over to Kurama. Kagome tensed and watched closely, ready to snatch them up at one wrong move from the male. She knew that male youkai were a threat to young kits and was cautious about letting one she didn't know around her kits.

Kurama smiled disarmingly at Kagome and did his best to make his movements as non-threatening as possible. Shippou hopped up on the couch beside Kurama, and Akito, with some help from Kurama, struggled up into Kurama's lap. They both looked at him in admiration. "So you're a kitsune, right? What kind of kitsune are you? What element do you control? Do you know illusion magic? How old are you?" Shippou shot off question after question.

Kuwabara and Yusuke chuckled as Kurama was a bit overwhelmed by the two kits, Shippou's questions and Akito echoing them. "Woah you two, slow down." He said, chuckling. "First of all, I'm a silver kitsune, and I control plants. Yes, I know a bit of illusion magic, and I'm 19, but my kitsune side is 679." He said.

Meanwhile, while Kurama was entertaining the kits, Yusuke turned to Kagome. "So Kags, what's up with the kits? The red one looks like a full blooded kitsune, and the silver one is atleast hanyou." He said.

Kagome nodded, forcing out a shaky smile. "Yes, Shippou is a full Kitsune. A red one. His parents were killed by some thunder demons. A friend of mine, a hanyou, defeated them. I adopted Shippou. And Akito is mine. His father was a Silver Kitsune." She said, giving out as few details as possible. Her voice shook a bit as she spoke of Akito's father. Yusuke put an arm around Kagome's shoulder and she leaned into him, taking comfort in his familiar warmth.

Kurama had been listening with one ear as he entertained the kits. 'She's really hurting.'observed Yoko, sounding sad and a bit guilty. 'Yoko, what's wrong, you're never this compassionate?' asked Kurama, confused. He felt Yoko's sadness 'No, it's nothing. I'll tell you some other time. For now, take care of her, Kurama. Get to know her.' Yoko then receded into the back of Kurama's mind.

Forgotten in the corner of the room, Hiei watched the proceedings with sharp eyes. 'Fox, I hope you know what you're doing.' He thought, feeling a small twinge of worry for his old friend before squashing it ruthlessly.


End file.
